


Cannot Be Denied

by Nandireya



Category: Voltron Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-20
Updated: 2018-02-20
Packaged: 2019-03-21 16:03:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13744443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nandireya/pseuds/Nandireya
Summary: Kallura Week 2018Day FiveAlternate UniverseProphecy tells of a child...born of two worlds...destined to bring peace.  But what if a powerful man doesn’t want peace?





	Cannot Be Denied

Sendak’s eyes narrowed as he caught sight of his prey. He was a scrawny, dirty, slip of a lad, his age indeterminable, but he couldn’t have seen much more than half a decade. Pale as the moon with an unruly mane of thick dark hair, ignored by those around him as he foraged for food amid the city’s refuse. He didn’t know why he’d been sent to kill the boy, but his lord and master had commanded it, so the boy would die.

He approached the child quietly. Though he was renowned for his brutality he saw no need to make the little one suffer more than he obviously already was. Taking his life would almost be a blessing.

He stopped dead in his tracks when the boy froze and began to sniff the air. An odd thing. But he was supposed to be some kind of hybrid, born of two worlds, so maybe it wasn’t so strange. There was Galra in him, and with that came heightened senses. He turned to look right at him, eyes wide with what he assumed was fear. But of course, Sendak was quite the intimidating sight.

“Such a tiny thing.” He sneered, drawing his dagger. It wouldn’t take a sword to end this own.

Dark eyes flicked to the shining blade, then back to its wielder. Sendak had expected to see terror there, but instead brows furrowed, eyes narrowed, lips curled back to reveal surprisingly sharp teeth. The assassin smiled wicked.

“You got spirit, little one.” He admitted. “I’m tempted to let you live. But, my Lord demands I spill your blood. So...”

He lunged at the child, but he was impossibly fast. He ran at his would-be assailant, going into a slide in the muck that covered the ally’s floor to slip between the legs of the giant man, diving into the pile of garbage that had until then been his banquet table.

“Impressive.” Sendak nodded. He was hidden from sight and the stench from the refuse muddled Sendak’s sense of smell making him all but impossible to track. He obviously had highly developed survival instincts, or his size was more due to malnutrition than a lack of years and experience has made him wise. “But do you really think I won’t go digging through trash to find you?”

He reached up over his shoulder, pulling his portable laser-canon from the holster on his back. “Or maybe I’ll just blast you out.”

He levelled the weapon and began systematically to set the trash pile in fire, keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of movement. If the boy’s survival’s instincts were as high as he thought they were there was no possible way he’d stay put. It was just a question of where he’d emerge.

He spotted the tiniest shifting of debris. He dropped his weapon and dove for the spot, his large hand clamping on something warm and wriggly. Lifting it upwards, shaking it free from the rubbish that was sent splattering against the walls it turned out to be an ankle. The boy snarled and began kicking at his hand with the free foot, twisting and writhing to free himself.

“You’re a born fighter, boy.” He said. “But there’s no way you can...”

He let out a stunned shriek as the boy somehow twisted up and around to clamp sharp teeth onto the wrist that was locked around his ankle, forcing Sendak to release his hold. He hit the ground hard and was already scrambling away when Sendak slammed a heavy boot on the small of his back.

“You really are a bigger pain in the ass than I thought you’d be.” He growled, reaching down he flipped him over, clamping a hand around his neck, pushing him hard against the ground, ignoring the pain as the boy began clawing at his hand, angrily, ferociously, powerfully enough to gouge trenches in his flesh.

He pulled out his knife. Any other child would be terrified of the sight of the wicked blade, assuming they knew what was coming. But not this one. He just became eerily still, eyes focused on the blade as if resigned to his fate.

Sendak brought the blade down, aiming at the boy’s heart. At the last possibly moment, he twisted, the killing blow became an injuring one. The boy cried out as the knife bit deeply into his right shoulder, but the pain gave him the adrenaline he needed to break free.

The movement twisted the knife in his wound, causing more damage, but tearing it from his assailant’s hand. The boy scooped up the fallen weapon and racked it across Sendak’s face. The agonised scream that escaped the giant’s lips was far more than he’d expected, the knife couldn’t possibly have cut that deep.

“My eye!” Sendak screeched as clamped a hand over the freely flowing wound. They boy’s aim and strength were both far better than he had surmised.

“You little shit!” He snarled, fumbling for his laser-canon. “I was gonna do this quick.” He pulled it to his shoulder, needing both hands to do so, revealing the empty socket where his right eye had been. “But now you’ll suffer.”

The boy’s eyes widened, real fear there now, as he cradled his injured arm, his blood making a dark trail down his entire body. Dodging a blade or grasping hand was one thing, but a laser-blast, something that moved literally at the speed of light, was something else entirely. He closed his eyes, waiting for death to claim him. He heard the weapon fire, heard a pain-filled cry, but it hadn’t come from the boy.

The blaster clattered to the alley floor as Sendak found he no longer had the strength to hold it. He no longer had an arm to hold it!

“Take him.” A strong voice commanded as its owner passed his own weapon off to a ginger-haired man beside him. Several others brushed passed them to secure the injured assassin, others gathering up his armaments.

The boy began to slide along the wall, smearing his life’s blood against the dingy bricks as he did so. Its loss was making him light-headed, sapping his strength. He knew he couldn’t escape, but he had to at least make an attempt. Given how easily this newcomer had taken out his would-be murderer he was obviously powerful. Finely dressed and fair of face though he was, the young one couldn’t be sure whether his situation had just improved or become much, much worse.

“Poor little tyke.” The ginger man sympathised. “He’s terrified.”

“A giant purple man just tried to kill him, Coran.” The other responded. “Of course he’s terrified.” He frowned. “Though one has to wonder why.”

“Alfor. That was Sendak.” Coran noted. “One of Zarkon’s most loyal and brutal supporters. Why would he want this poor child dead?”

“A question for another time.” Alfor said over his shoulder as he crouched down, caring not a whit as his fine robes met the filth of the alley floor. “We have more immediate concerns.” The boy’s face was ashen, his eyes fluttering as he fought to remain conscious. It was likely the wall was the only thing keeping him upright.

“Easy, lad.” He soothed, reaching a hand towards him. “We’re not going to hurt you.” He added as the boy pulled back. “I have a daughter about your age.” He continued. “I think she’d like to meet you.” He smiled. “What do you think? Would you like to meet her?”

The boy coughed wetly, splattering Alfor’s fine clothes with blood, pitching forward as he consciousness fled. Alfor caught him easily with one arm, pulling his cloak free with the other. Wrapping up the tiny body he cradled the injured child gently in his arms.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

 

~~~~~~

 

“Are you certain this is the best place to keep him?” Coran’s voice roused her from her sleep. “Surely the hospital...”

“Zarkon’s already tried to kill him once.” Her father responded. “He wouldn’t be safe there if he were to make another attempt.”

“But we know nothing about him.” Coran protested. “You saw what he did to Sendak. He could be dangerous.”

“Perhaps he is.” Father admitted. “But he’s hardly in any kind of condition to cause a ruckus right now. You can rig up a forcefield around his bed if you feel he’s a threat.”

She slipped out of bed and crept to her door, opening it the smallest of cracks, as Father, Coran and a bevy of people dressed all in white passed by with a large floating platform.

As they passed around she slipped out into the corridor, following as quietly as she could. Nanny had always said she was too curious for her own good, that it would lead her to trouble someday. But she had to know what dangerous creature Father had bought into their home.

It seemed to take forever for the grown-ups to leave, but finally Father, Coran and the strangers in white all left, turning the lights off as they did so. It was quite late after all, Nanny would surely chastise her if she found her here, out of bed at this time. But she didn’t care. She wanted to see the danger.

She crept into the room, leaving the lights off and closing the door behind her.

The floating platform had been taken to the far end of the room. The soft blue glow that surrounded it told her that Coran had indeed erected a forcefield around it. She moved towards it slowly, cautiously, not because she was losing her nerve or anything, she just didn’t want to wake the...whatever it was that was in there. It had to be sleeping. The room was dark and it was extraordinarily quiet.

As she reached it she cocked her head to one side, confused. This was the danger? It was a boy. At least she thought it was a boy. It could be a girl, he was certainly pretty enough, but something told her he was a boy. The same thing that told her he wasn’t dangerous.

Without taking her eyes off him she reached over and turned off the forcefield.

Her father had said something about Zarkon trying to kill him, there was certainly evidence of that. There were numerous cuts and scrapes on his face and a healing pad secured to his right shoulder. It looked quite bad, she wondered why they hadn’t just put him in a healing pod.

His skin was pale, his hair dark. It was like he was her opposite. She reached out a tentative hand to brush some dark strands from his face. She gasped as his left hand closed tightly on her wrist, stilling her hand in midair. His eyes opened slowly to lock with hers.

They were the deepest, darkest blue she had ever seen, with swirls of other colours she couldn’t name. It was like staring into the night sky, into the depths of the universe. But his gaze made her feel funny, uncomfortable, but not in a bad way. It was like he was looking right through her, to who she truly was, who she truly would be.

“Hello.” She said softly. “I’m Allura.” When he didn’t respond, she asked. “Do you have a name?”

“Keith.” He said in a hoarse whisper.

“You’re not Altean?” She asked as she climbed up beside him. It certainly wasn’t an Altean name.

“No...” he didn’t sound too sure as he shuffled across the platform to give her room.

“Where are you from?” She asked.

“I...don’t know...” he said hesitantly. “I don’t remember...”

“You don’t remember your father?” She asked. “Your mother?”

“No.” His face screwed up a little. “I don’t remember anything. I was someplace...them I was...someplace else...”

Allura’s lip trembled as tears formed in the corners of Keith’s eyes. She gently wrapped her arms around him, careful not to jostle his injury, laying her head on his good shoulder.

“It’s okay.” She said. “You’re here now.”

 


End file.
